Darkury and Nephrite
by DyanaRoseJill
Summary: In the Dark Kingdom, Sailor Mercury comes in contact with one of the shitennou - Nephrite. PGSM Plotline. I hope you enjoy it - thanks for reading!
1. Some Entertainment

**Chapter One - Some entertainment  
**_Takes place somewhere between __act twenty four __and __act twenty eight __  
We incorporated a few scenes from the show, but much of this we made up  
Original written March 2007, edited and posted May 2007_

Nephrite huddled in an out of the way corner in one of the many unused tunnels of the Dark Kingdom. He had been sent from the throne room in disgrace, all because of that girl - that stupid senshi. She was the source of all his troubles, and now he couldn't touch her.  
It just wasn't fair. He growled softly.

"What a pathetic sight."  
His head jerked up at the sound of her voice. Darkury was standing there, regarding him, a half smirk on her lips.  
"What do you want?" he grumbled.  
"Entertainment. And it looks like I found some."  
"Not here," he muttered.  
"Oh, definitely here," she chuckled, "Just look at you, all pathetic."  
"Go away!"  
"Or what?" she challenged, smirking.  
"Just go away," he looked down.  
Darkury nudged him with the tip of her boot, "Pathetic."  
Nephrite pushed her foot away.  
Darkury just did it again, finding his feeble attempts at stopping her rather amusing.

"What do you want?" he growled finally.  
"I told you. Entertainment."  
"Go find it somewhere else!" he snapped.  
"But you're so amusing," she said with a serene smile, "There's nothing more entertaining than a failure."  
He just growled, glaring at her angrily.  
"It isn't my fault you messed up," Darkury continued with a smirk, "You're just not cut out to be a shitennou."  
He tensed, "Go away..."  
"You know I'm right."  
"I said Go Away!" he scrambled up to his feet and stalked over to her.  
She just crossed her arms, looking amused.  
"Leave."  
"No," she said simply.

Nephrite gave her a hard shove. She stumbled briefly and then righted herself. "I wouldn't," she smirked, "You don't want to upset anyone, do you?"  
"Just get out of here!"  
"I don't take orders from failures," she said airily.

Nephrite decided he didn't care what happened to him - he just wanted to wipe that smirk off her face. He lunged at her, but she side stepped neatly, sticking her leg out right where he was running. Nephrite went flying and landed hard on the ground.  
His face burned bright red when he heard her laugh.

"Are you done?" Darkury asked, leaning arrogantly against the wall.  
Nephrite got up and gave her a very dark look. He really, really wanted to hit her in the face. But, instead, with as much dignity as he could scrape together, he walked past her.  
She casually stuck out her foot and he went flying again.  
He got up as quickly as he could and walked away, her laughter burning in his hot ears.

Nephrite found another corner to hide in and he curled up. Why wouldn't that senshi leave him alone? Couldn't she go bother someone else for awhile?

"So this is where you crawled off to," came her voice some time later.  
"Bored again?" he asked.  
"Perhaps," she said, "And seeing as you have such a... knack for ending up face-first in the mud, I thought I would come and watch."  
"Well I don't plan on entertaining you," he growled.  
"You already are," she chuckled, "Curled up on the floor like some kind of bug. Pathetic."  
"You are easily amused then."  
"Perhaps," Darkury gave a shrug, "People who are weak amuse me."  
"It takes one to know one I suppose."

Darkury kicked him. Rather hard. Nephrite grunted and caught hold of her foot, pulling hard, trying to unbalance her.  
She drew her sword and smacked him over the head with the flat of the blade.  
Nephrite's eyes watered, but he didn't let go of her ankle, kicking out at her. She jumped to avoid his kick, and dislodged his hold on her foot.

He gave a soft growl, and the two glared at each other for a few long moments before he finally looked away.  
"Truly worthless."  
Nephrite couldn't even come up with a good retort, practically suffocating under his rage.  
She kicked him once again before heading off down the corridor, leaving him alone again.

Alone again, Nephrite rested his head on his arms. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe Mercury was right. Maybe he was worthless. That would explain why Beryl-sama wanted nothing more to do with him.  
The red head closed his eyes tightly against tears that were threatening to escape.  
He knew he should find a new hiding place... but he couldn't gather the energy to get up. What was the point anyway? Mercury would just find him again, so he may as well just stay here.

It was quite a while before footsteps echoed down the corridor.  
"You haven't moved any, then."  
Nephrite didn't look up at her, "No."  
"Hmph," she crossed her arms, "You're making the place look untidy."  
"No one comes here but you," he responded, "So no one else cares."  
"I care, and you're making the place untidy," she said, "Why don't you go and be worthless failure elsewhere?" She nudged him with her foot a few times, but he didn't move.  
Darkury gave a deep, melodramatic sigh. "You're starting to annoy me."  
"No one is keeping you here," he responded softly.

"You aren't welcome here," she continued, "So move."  
"No," Nephrite said simply. He had no where else to go.  
She kicked him again, "Move."  
"I don't take orders from you."  
"You should," she smirked, "I'm your better, so you should show respect."  
Nephrite sighed and rose to his feet. She really didn't have authority to tell him what to do, but he just wanted her to shut up.  
"Go find some other corner," she ordered.

Nephrite didn't say a word, slowly walking past her.  
Darkury stuck her foot out to trip him, but Nephrite just went around it.  
She pouted, but Nephrite didn't gloat about it - he just kept on walking. Everything about his posture showed he was defeated.

Darkury watched him go. That hasn't been nearly as fun as it used to be, quite disappointing actually. It seemed like Nephrite had given up. He had lost everything that was important to him, and he had even run out of energy to get angry with her.

She frowned slightly. He would probably just find some corner somewhere and stay there forever if she left him alone.  
But somehow... that didn't make her feel good... it brought a vague memory to the surface... a memory of being alone... without friends.  
She wriggled her shoulders uncomfortably. She didn't like this.

Nephrite had found another place to hide, and he slid down to the floor, leaning against the wall. He watched a small steady drip of water from a stalactite fall to the ground.  
After a long period of silence he heard footsteps.  
He sighed. Mercury had found him. What did she want now?  
"Ne," Darkury said softly.  
He looked up, "Exploring?"  
"Something like that."  
"Oh," he said softly, looking down again.

She slowly held out her hands, showing him a mended cloak. She folded it up again and tossed it onto his shoulder.  
Nephrite reflexively flinched when he saw her throw something. He looked at her, then at the cloak, and then back to her.  
"All alone..." she murmured, "I don't like it."  
Darkury regarded him for a moment longer and then turned around and walked off.

Once she was gone, Nephrite pulled the cape off his shoulder and examined it, running the fabric through his fingers, trying to find where it had been torn. But it was mended perfectly; there was no sign of a tear.  
He couldn't believe this. Why had she done this? It couldn't be... because she felt sorry for him. That was the last thing he wanted.  
He closed his hand into a fist around the cape. Pity from a Sailor Senshi. What could be worse? Now he wished Beryl had just killed him...  
He pulled the cape over his head.


	2. Pity from a senshi

**Chapter Two - Pity from a ****senshi**

Darkury paced her room in the Dark Kingdom. Nephrite hadn't come out of the cave complex he was hiding in, and she hadn't felt him teleporting out either. So he probably hadn't been eating... that meant he would get sick or worse. For some odd reason, that idea made her rather unhappy. She wandered off to the human world and went grocery shopping. It was pretty easy to convince the people at the store that she had money. That achieved, she went back to the Dark Kingdom and hunted for Nephrite.

He was pathetically easy to find, it seemed he hadn't moved since the last time she saw him.

"Nephrite," she regarded him, "Sit up."

"I don't take orders from you," he grumbled.

She rolled her eyes, "Just sit up."

Nephrite sighed, but sat up.

Darkury deposited a bag of foods in his lap. "You need to eat."

Nephrite blinked in confusion.

"Eat it, don't just stare at it."

Nephrite looked up at him, "what's this for?"

"To eat. Baka," she responded impatiently.

"But what is it doing here?" he persisted.

Darkury gave a heavy sigh, "For you to eat."

He looked astonished, "Why?"

"What?" it was her turn to look confused.

"Why did you bring this?"

She blinked, "...because."

"I don't want it."

"Tough," she said, "You can't just sit there."

"I have been doing fine at that so far," he growled.

"Well that's going to change," she folded her arms.

"Are you saying that I can't even just sit here?" Nephrite looked cross.

She huffed, "I am saying that you are going to eat. Don't twist my words."

"I'm not hungry," he said again.

"You lie poorly."

He glared but she didn't back down.

"Now eat," she ordered.

"Will you leave if I do?"

"Yes."

He sighed, "Alright." He reached into the bag and took something out at random. He regarded it for a moment and then took a bite.

Darkury waited until he had finished eating before giving him a nod.

"Satisfied?" he asked with a sigh.

"For now," she said, "But I expect you to keep eating."

"Why?" he asked dully.

"Because otherwise you'll die," she said, "And that would be a waste."

"It won't be," he muttered, "It doesn't matter." "Yes it does," she growled,

"Shut up."

Nephrite growled softly at her.

"I expect you to have eaten what's in the bag," she snapped.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't have to answer that," she retorted.

He sighed. He supposed she didn't.

She motioned to the bag, "There're lots of different things in there, and they'd better be eaten."

He shrugged, "Maybe."

"No, not 'maybe,'" she growled.

"And what are you going to do about it?"

She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled him up to his feet, "You will eat it."

He struggled, but she was a lot stronger than she should have been. She shook him, "Right?"

"Fine," he growled.

"Good," she released him.

He gave her a dark look, "Now will you leave?"

"For now."

Nephrite waited until she was out of sight before sinking to the ground. He wished that she would leave for good. It seemed that she had found a new game to play with him... She pitied him... He didn't want her pity. Why wouldn't she just leave him alone? He pushed the food further away. He didn't want anything from her... He went back to sitting, alone in the darkness.

A few days passed.

Once more footsteps echoed down the corridor. He sighed. Only Mercury's footsteps echoed like that, so he didn't bother to look up.

"Why didn't you eat?" she asked.

"I ate some."

"There was enough here for a few days," She said, "But you've barely touched it. Why?"

"I told you - I don't want it."

"And I told you - you'll eat it," she growled.

"No," he said, "There is no reason to waste food on me."

"It's wasted if you don't eat it, baka!"

"You eat it," he snapped.

"I got it for you," she half-growled.

"I didn't tell you to."

"I don't care."

"I do," he murmured softly.

"You're no good if you sit here and die."

"I'm no good if I sit here and live either," he growled.

She hauled him up again, and shook him hard, "Stop being stupid!"

He struggled against her, pushing her away, "Why do you care so much?"

"That's not important."

"Yes it is!"

"No it isn't!"

"Why not?" he demanded.

"Because I said so!"

"That's not a good reason," he huffed.

Darkury grabbed his jacket again, "You are going to eat the food I got you." "And if I don't?" She glared, "Then I won't be happy." He snorted, "And that's supposed to bother me?" He pulled away.

Darkury grabbed at him again, "Do as I say!"

"I don't have to!" he snarled, "You're not Beryl-sama!bI only listen to her!"

"You're not in her presence, so that's obsolete!"

Nephrite stopped. He took a step back away from her and slumped back against the wall, sinking to the ground, head in his hands.

Darkury blinked. She could almost see the fury drain out of him. That was a little alarming, to say the least. She didn't know what to say - she hadn't hit him that hard to cause him to fall like that.

"... Nephrite?..."

"What?" he asked flatly.

"What... what's wrong?"

He looked up at her like she was insane, "You can't mean that," he muttered, "Everything is wrong!"

"Well fine," she snapped, "I was just trying to help!" she span on her heel and stamped off.

"Well stop!" he shouted after her, "I don't need your constant reminding of what a failure I am!"

"Well sor-ree for trying to be nice!" she stormed off.

Darkury retreated to her room and flung herself down on her bed. She didn't realize how much he was hurting... No wonder he was hiding like that. It also explained why he didn't want to eat. Darkury sighed heavily. She didn't particularly want him dying, so she'd just have to try again. She wanted to get him to eat at least.

The next morning found Darkury looking for Nephrite again. To her surprise, he hadn't moved away from where he was last time. "Nephrite," she knelt down next to him, "I've brought breakfast." He turned away with a sigh. He thought he had chased her away. All the same, he glanced over at it. Despite himself, he felt his stomach growl.

"I can't convince you, can I?" Darkury said with a sigh.

"No," he muttered, "Why won't you just leave me here alone?"

She nudged the plate closer to him, "Because I don't want to."

"Right," he muttered, "I'm your entertainment."

"Just eat," she sighed.

Nephrite sighed and started eating. "Thank you," she said before she'd quite realized she had spoken. That made him look up in surprise. She thought he was doing her a favor by eating? That was strange. Darkury brushed her skirt down, "There... that wasn't so hard was it?..."

"No," he said softly.

"There's... plenty in the bag," she said quietly, making eye contact with the floor, "And if there's something you don't like..."

"If there's something I don't like I won't eat it," he tried to grumble.

She shook her head, "Then I'll remember not to get you that."

"Oh..." he said softly, looking away from her.

"Well..." she shifted awkwardly, "I'll..."

"What's been happening lately?" Nephrite asked.

"Nothing much..." she shrugged.

"Oh," he said quietly, "I haven't heard anything."

"You're... a long way out..."

"Hai..." he said softly.

"It's cold," she said, changing the subject quickly.

"I guess..." he muttered.

"You'll catch something if you stay like this," she murmured."I'll get blankets," she decided, getting to her feet.

"Mercury..." he started, "You don't have to..."

"You can't just catch your death down here," she said, hurrying off.

Nephrite sighed and curled up again. He knew that she would be back... Soon he heard her footsteps again, and a few moments later a pile of blankets and pillows with feet walked into his cave. He blinked, nonplussed. Darkury dropped the pile unceremoniously, "There."

"Why are you doing all of this?" he asked finally, "The blankets... and the food..."

"Why?" she repeated, "Because..."

Nephrite tilted his head expectantly. "Because..." she tried again, "Just because!"

Nephrite shook his head, "'Because' is not a reason."

"Yes it is!" she snapped a little defensively.

"Not a good reason," he said.

"There is nothing wrong with that reason," she half-pouted.

"Fine," he sighed, "Don't tell me."

"I just did!" she exclaimed, frustrated.

"I'm sure you have a real reason," he continued, "But you don't have to do anything I say..."

"It's not that," she mumbled, staring at the floor. "What is it then?" he asked softly. "It doesn't matter..." "It does to me," he responded in the same soft tone, "No one will tell me anything... not anymore."

"... I'm sorry..." she whispered.

"I don't want your pity," he grumbled.

Darkury blinked, "Wha? I don't pity you, baka."

"No?" it was his turn to blink, "what is it then?"

Darkury was silent for a few minutes. "It doesn't matter..." she mumbled finally, heading for the corridor again.

"Fine," he muttered.

"Yeah fine!" she snapped, "Use the blankets!" With that, Darkury stormed off.

Nephrite didn't even know what he had done that time to make her storm off. She had gone such a bright shade of red... He sighed softly. If he had to be honest with himself, she wasn't such bad company, and it was better than being alone... and she was bringing him things to make him more comfortable. He half hoped she would come back.


	3. A Large Pile of Blankets

**Chapter Three - Large Pile of Blankets**

He was left alone for awhile, but not very long.  
Darkury arrived, carrying an assortment of bottles.  
Nephrite rose to his feet when he saw her and he took half a step towards her.  
"You need stuff to drink," she said abruptly, holding out a bottle to him, "I don't know what you like so... I hope you like some of these."  
Nephrite nodded and took what was offered.

"Well..." she started.  
"What about you?" he asked uncertainly, "You... should have something too."  
Darkury blinked, "Yeah... alright."  
Each picked up a bottle and took a drink, but Darkury waited for him to drink first.

Nephrite pondered how he could get her to stay - and why he really wanted her to stay. He needed to come up with a good reason... but none came to mind.

"Your blankets are a mess," she murmured, kneeling down on the floor and starting to organize them, tucking them in here and there.  
Nephrite watched her curiously.

"Is this enough?" she asked suddenly.  
He blinked, "huh?"  
"Enough blankets."  
"Oh..." he nodded, "Hai."  
"And pillows?"  
"I think so."  
"You think so," she repeated, "So did you want more?"  
"I..." he hesitated. That would be a reason for her to come back... He nodded.  
"Alright," she nodded, "Now?"  
He shrugged, "I don't need any right now."

An awkward silence descended. Finally Nephrite went over to the pile of blankets  
"Is that okay?" she asked.  
"Hai," he said, "It'll do."  
She nodded slowly.  
"I..." Nephrite didn't really know what to say.  
"Ano..." Darkury started at the same time.  
They looked away from each other, both staring fixedly at the ground.  
"I..." he tried again, scuffing the toe of his boot against the ground, "I ate more."  
She smiled faintly, "good..."

Nephrite finally decided to sit down on the pile of blankets she had made.  
Darkury watched with an approving nod. He would be much more comfortable there than on the stone floor.  
"It's better than the floor," he yielded.  
Darkury nodded, "Yes."  
"But... I suppose you'll want to make sure for yourself."

Darkury blinked and then slowly nodded. "Hai," she said softly, lowering herself down onto the cushions and pillows. Right next to him.  
"It is more comfortable," she agreed.  
"Hai..." he said softly.  
They sat there for a few minutes not looking at each other.

"I..." he tried, "This is good..."  
"Good..." she said, "I... um..." Darkury shifted uncomfortably, "I should... probably go..."  
"Why?" Nephrite asked suddenly. For some odd reason he... didn't want her to go.  
"Ano... well... I..." she hesitated, trying to think of a suitable reason, "I have to go and get rid of the senshi."  
"Oh," he said softly. That used to be his job. "I see."  
"Hai..." she nodded, not getting up, "So..."  
"Right."  
"Hai."

Darkury looked down at her feet again before finally starting to get up.  
Nephrite didn't want her to go.  
"I... I'll bring you some more food," she decided.  
He nodded silently.  
Darkury offered him a sort of smile, "well... bye..."  
"Oh, you meant now," he tried not to sound disappointed.  
"I... hai," she managed, "I... I'll see you later."  
Nephrite nodded.  
"Well... bye..." she said awkwardly.  
"Oh... you meant now," he murmured to her feet.  
"I..." she hesitated, "Hai. I... I'll see you later."

Nephrite watched her go with a soft sigh as he resettled himself back on the blankets.  
After awhile of just sitting there he realized that he missed her.  
She was a senshi, and an irritating one at that, and yet... he missed her.  
Mercury was so strange the way she wanted to spend time with him... and that she had done so much for him. He absently smoothed out the blanket where she had been sitting.

Eventually footsteps echoed down the cavern. Her footsteps. The dark senshi soon arrived, carrying a bag of food and drinks.  
Nephrite quickly got to his feet when he saw her come around the corner.  
"I... brought more food," she said, holding out the bag to him.  
Nephrite took the bag from her willingly.  
"Is that alright?" she asked.  
He nodded slowly, "Hai."  
"Good."  
"It is."

He hesitated, "Do you want some?"  
"Hai..." Mercury said slowly after a hesitation of her own.  
She knelt down on the floor and began unpacking the food. Nephrite knelt next to her and tried to help, although he mostly got in the way.  
When their hands brushed for the third time, he realized that his heart was pounding loudly in his ears... and that she had gone a bright shade of red.

Pushing that strange feeling away, Nephrite offered her some food at random.  
"Arigato," she gave a smile and handed him a glass, "Eat."  
"You should eat some too," he said softly.  
"H-hai..." she fiddled with her gloves for a moment before choosing some food.

They ate in silence for a moment before Nephrite spoke up. "Where did you get all of this from?"  
"Hmm?" she looked at him almost shyly.  
"The food."  
"Oh," she gave a half shrug, "Some shop."  
"You went shopping?" He couldn't help but think that he wouldn't know how to do that. If Beryl had banished him to Earth, he would have no idea how to survive.  
"Just a local super," she shrugged, "It isn't hard."

Nephrite nodded and went back to eating.  
Darkury watched him through her eyelashes. She was glad that he was finally eating.  
He looked up when he felt her watching him.  
Darkury turned bright pink and looked away.  
"It's good..." he said slowly.  
"I'm glad..." Darkury risked a glance up. Was it her imagination or was he blushing? She smiled faintly. It was very endearing.  
"What are you looking at?" he asked, "I'm that interesting?"  
She went bright red, "Uh-!" She looked down, "I don't mean to offend..."  
"You're not," he said quickly.

She nodded and silently sipped her water.  
He really didn't mind her watching him. In a way... it was almost flattering...  
He met her eyes with his bright blue eyes and gave her what might be a smile.  
Her eyes widened a bit. That was the first time... she liked it.


	4. Strange Feelings

** Chapter Four - Strange Feelings**

Darkury had been having very strange feelings, ever since the last time she had fought Sailor Moon. She kept getting flashes of things she was sure should be memories, but she wasn't certain. Kunzite had been telling her to ignore the feelings, that they were just some trick of the senshi. But the feelings just kept coming.

Nephrite had reached the point where he actually looked forward to her coming to his dark corner. It didn't seem so dark when she was there.  
She arrived with a bag of food as usual.  
He rose to his feet and hurried over to help her.

She rubbed her temples after he had taken the bag from her.  
"Mercury?" he looked worried, "What is it?"  
"My head feels wooly..." she sighed and shook her head.  
"Tell me?"  
"It's just..." she shrugged, "I get these weird... things..."  
"Like?"  
"Like... oh I don't know..." she sighed, "Memories? I think? But I don't know..."  
"Memories of what?" he asked  
"I don't know," she repeated, "It's just... it's familiar... but nothing specific."

He hesitated and then offered her one of the foods she brought him as 'treats'  
Darkury couldn't quite hide the smile in her eyes. He was trying to make her feel better... that made her feel good... even if he couldn't say it in words.  
"Arigato..." she took the snack and ate it.

Nephrite shyly set a light hand on her shoulder. He wanted to comfort her but he wasn't sure how to.  
Darkury couldn't help a slight smile; it was sweet.

"Kunzite said to ignore it," she started, "Demo..."  
"You don't want to?" he asked  
"Not that," she shook her head, "It's just... really hard to."  
"He's not always right you know."  
She had to smile at that, "I know."

Nephrite gave her a smile, which only made hers grow. It was so rare that she could get Nephrite to smile, and it made her feel oddly happy. Whenever she could get him to smile, it felt like she had won a prize. He looked so nice when he smiled...

Then... that feeling came again. She rubbed her temple again. It was so uncomfortable.  
Nephrite's smile faded and he looked almost... worried.  
She tried to catch the wayward memory, but it darted out of reach once more.  
He kept his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. And oddly, it was working.  
Nephrite hesitantly set his other hand on her other shoulder, rubbing her shoulders gently.

She blinked and then gave a shy half smile.  
Nephrite turned bright red, but didn't stop. He hoped this was the right thing to do.  
"... arigato..." she gazed up at him through her eye lashes.  
For once, he didn't look away.

"Mercury..." he started slowly, "If... if you ever... need anything..."  
"...hai?..." she whispered.  
"Then... just ask."  
She beamed, "Arigato."

She looked down again, "Ano..." he hesitated, "Iie... never mind."  
He nodded slowly, "But you know where to find me."  
"Hai..." she smiled a bit.  
"You always do," he gave a faint smile, "And... that's good."  
"Hai?" she asked softly.  
He nodded, "And... I wouldn't mind..."  
She went pink again, "Arigato..."  
He didn't quite know what else to say, so he continued to rub her shoulders.

She sighed softly, "I... should go..."  
"Oh, alright," Nephrite nodded, "Be careful..."  
"I will..." she said, "And... I will... see you soon."  
"Hai," he nodded

She half-smiled again and then hurried off.  
Nephrite watched her go, and he couldn't help but smile at the fact that she was still blushing. He liked her... even if she was a senshi.  
She was making sure he was alright... and that was surprisingly nice.  
She had completely ceased taunting him, it even seemed like she might... like him too.  
He settled down on the blankets. Mercury had brought him more almost every day, and now he had a little nest. It was even more comfortable than his old bed had been.

He lay down in his nest, his thoughts wandering back to Mercury. He used to hate her, and now... when she wasn't there, he missed her. He didn't even mind her pity so much anymore. It didn't really seem like pity.  
It was almost like she liked him, but he didn't know how that was possible... she used to be his enemy and he didn't think that the spell Kunzite had her under would make her like him. It just didn't make sense, but he did know he liked it. He didn't want her ever to leave.

It was awhile before she came back. When he heard her enter he looked up and gave her a smile.  
Darkury was a little ruffled-looking, but she managed a half-smile in return. "The senshi are annoying," she grumbled.  
He nodded and took her hand, pulling her down to sit next to him, "What happened?"  
With a soft sigh, she told him about her latest battle. "... and those memory things are getting worse," she finished with a huff. She gave a soft sigh and stared up at the rocky ceiling, trying to gather her thoughts.  
Nephrite set a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I wish I could help."

She looked over at him and smiled slightly, then stepped forward and put her head on his shoulder.  
Nephrite hesitantly put his arm around her, and then moved in closer and gave her a proper hug.  
Darkury smiled and put her arms around his waist.  
This was... nice. Very nice in fact. Nephrite took in the scent of her hair. She had quite a familiar scent now... a little like clean cotton... like the blankets and pillows she had got for him. He liked it. Liked her.  
He hesitantly stroked her hair. When Darkury smiled and leaned into his touch, he kept it up. He had never realized how soft her hair was...


	5. Seperation

** Chapter Five - Seperation**

Nephrite followed the sound of Mercury's scream. He hadn't left the Dark Kingdom for awhile, but he could still teleport.  
He found the dark senshi kneeling on the floor, her eyes wide, staring blankly into the distance. In her arms she cradled the fallen Sailor Moon, her tiara cracked and broken on the floor alongside her shattered weapon.  
He hurried over to Mercury, paying only enough attention to Sailor Moon as he needed to make sure he didn't step on her.  
Mercury didn't seem to see him, her eyes fixed on a point in the middle distance, though it seemed unlikely that she was actually seeing anything.  
"Mercury?" he crouched down in front of her, waving his hand in front of her eyes.  
The senshi didn't even blink.  
When he shook her gently she moved side-to-side, loose like a ragdoll.  
Nephrite bit his lip. He had to get her out of here. He pried her arms off Sailor Moon.

"... U..sa..gi..." she whispered, reaching for Sailor Moon again.  
"Mercury!" he exclaimed, "What's wrong with you?"  
"I... did this..."  
He blinked, "So?"  
"I did this... to Usagi-chan." She gathered Moon into her arms and tried to wake her.  
Nephrite blinked as it suddenly registered what Mercury was calling her. "Mercury," he tried to get her to let go, "Let her go... you defeated her. That's what you were trying to do."  
"Usagi-chan!" she wailed desperately, clinging harder to Moon.

The spell was wearing off... he was going to lose her. She was going to go back to the senshi...  
All of a sudden, Nephrite realized what she was... and what he was going to lose. His friend.  
He wrapped his arms around her, running his fingers through her hair. This had comforted her last time but it didn't seem to be working this time,  
Poor Mercury seemed to have gone into a state of shock.  
He tried pulling her away from Sailor Moon again.  
"Iie!" she screamed, clinging tightly to the fallen senshi.  
Her scream hurt his heart... He couldn't pull her away. "Mercury, wake up..." he pleaded.

"Mercury." Another voice cut over Nephrite's.  
Kunzite stalked over, walking past Nephrite as if he were invisible, "Mercury."  
The senshi didn't move.  
Nephrite wanted to tell Kunzite to leave her alone, but he knew the taller shitennou would just ignore him.  
"Mercury!" Kunzite grabbed the senshi under the arms and bodily hauled her away from Moon.  
After she was dropped back to the floor, however, she just slowly, ever so slowly, started to crawl back towards Moon, her eyes huge and watery, her breathing jagged. She had almost reached Moon when Kunzite swirled his cloak, and all three disappeared.

Nephrite headed back to the Dark Kingdom to start looking for her. Wherever she was, it wasn't where easy to find. What had Kunzite done to her?  
It was a lot easier to find the other shitennou at least.

Kunzite was playing what appeared to be a game of chess. Nephrite couldn't see it clearly, but Kunzite seemed to be amused by it.  
The place shook and Kunzite laughed. Somewhere, faintly, Nephrite could hear Mercury shriek. His heart skipped a beat. He wanted to ask what Kunzite was doing, but he knew he wouldn't get an answer.  
So instead, he crept as close as he dared, and tried to see.  
It was an odd looking chessboard... there were two white pawns and two black pieces on either side.  
The pawns started moving away from the black pieces, and Kunzite chuckled.

Suddenly, Nephrite understood. Mercury - and Moon - were the pawns and the black pieces... well that was why Mercury was screaming.  
He bit his lip.  
If he had to choose between Kunzite and Mercury... well it was no contest there.  
He moved a bit further away, and a red stone appeared in his hand. He set it down on the ground and used some of his own power to bring it to life, sending it to where Mercury was.

Ami's eyes widened as another youma appeared, this one with a more reddish tint than the others. Nephrite's youma had always been red... This wasn't good.  
The youma lumbered towards them, stopping a few feet in front of them. Behind Nephrite's youma, she could see another youma that had been waiting to attack them, but now that they clearly weren't coming that way, it had come into view.  
The red youma started towards them, so Usagi grabbed Ami's hand and started running the opposite direction away from the youma.  
When Ami had a chance to glance back, she could see that Nephrite's youma wasn't chasing after them.

Usagi let out a groan - they had come back to the beginning again. Ami's dark transformation watch was on the ground next to them.  
"Oh no..." Ami whispered.  
The soft growl of a youma made both girls look up.  
"This way!" Ami grabbed Usagi's hand again and pulled her along down the path once again.

When they reached a fork in the road, they skidded to a stop. Ami knew one of the paths led them in a big circle, but she couldn't remember which one.  
The red youma came plodding down one of the paths.  
Ami's eyes widened and she took off down the other path, pulling Usagi along with her.  
For once, the scenery started to look different. Ami and Usagi slowed to a walk.  
Every time the path split in two directions the now-familiar-youma was guarding one of the paths, giving them no choice which way to take.

A little thought started nudging at Ami's mind as she walked down the only path they could take. Either Nephrite was helping Kunzite confuse them more, or... or he was helping them get out.  
And given the way things were lately... she hoped, she really hoped, that he was helping her. She had to trust him.

Kunzite was watching his 'chess board', a little bemused by the sudden addition of a new 'piece' that was helping the pawns maneuver through the board.  
He frowned and picked up the piece to look at it. His eyes narrowed when he saw it was red. "Nephrite," he growled, throwing the piece against the wall and shattering it.  
"Nephrite!" he shouted, "I know you can hear me!"  
The red-head stepped into the room.  
"Stay out of this," Kunzite warned.  
"I want to play too."  
"I said, keep out of it," he snapped.  
"Fine," Nephrite muttered.  
"Now get out!"

Nephrite sighed and walked out of the room with as much dignity as he could manage. He hadn't gone far when he heard a roar of frustration from Kunzite's room.  
There was a loud smash and then... silence.  
Nephrite perked up a bit. Maybe she had gotten out. That was a relief. Maybe she was safe... and back with the senshi... he would never see her again...  
He was back to being alone.

When he felt Kunzite teleport away, Nephrite decided to follow his trail, just in case.  
Just in case of what, he wasn't sure, but he followed him anyway.  
Nephrite came out of the teleportation just in time to see a bright flash of light swallow Kunzite and a youma.

Nephrite pressed back against the wall, looking around for the senshi.  
All five of them stood there, looking quite triumphant, but Nephrite only had eyes for Mercury... back in her old senshi outfit.  
He held back a sigh. She really was gone. But he had always known in the back of his mind that this could happen... she always had been one of the senshi...  
But... he didn't want to fight her... he didn't think he could.

"Mercury." Kunzite's voice suddenly rang out in the echoing hall.  
Mercury turned towards the sound and let out a scream as Kunzite swung his sword down at her.  
And then, Kunzite stopped. His sword had hit on something metal.  
It was hard to say who looked more surprised, Kunzite or Mercury.  
Nephrite's entire body was tense, as he used his own sword to hold Kunzite back.  
"What are you doing?" Kunzite growled.  
"I'm getting in your way," Nephrite responded, pushing back against Kunzite as hard as he could. Kunzite could attack any of the other senshi - any of them! But to get at Mercury, he'd have to go through Nephrite first.  
Finally Kunzite stumbled backwards. He regarded Nephrite for a long moment and then sheathed his sword. "Baka," he muttered. He span on his heel and flicked his cloak, disappearing.

Nephrite finally let himself breathe again. He slowly turned to face Mercury.  
Her eyes were wide. Why had he done that? Surely he should have just let Kunzite do away with her.  
But... she couldn't quite push away the memories of being in the Dark Kingdom, and the strange companionship she had shared with him.

There was an almost sad look in his eyes. Her eyes widened a bit more. Somehow, she didn't want him to be sad.  
He held her gaze a long moment before he vanished.

Mercury stared at the spot where he had stood, feeling a slight sense of loss. The next time she saw him, she would have to fight him, and that idea made her feel a little ill.

Nephrite went back to the Dark Kingdom, alone again. Completely alone. He sank down onto his pile of blankets. Mercury had just arranged them that morning, like she did every day. Their scent reminded him of her.  
It was hard to believe that she wouldn't be coming back.  
It was strange, but while she was looking after him, he hadn't minded his exile so much, but now... without her... what was he going to do?  
Once, being in Beryl's favor was enough, but now he wasn't so sure.  
Still, if he worked on getting back in her favor, maybe that would help.  
But he wasn't so sure anymore.


End file.
